path | Radhanath Swami | Marriage and Parenting Advice

The Boulder of Life

Between the great things we cannot do and the small things we will not do, the danger is that we shall do nothing. ~Adolph Monod

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.
Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never understand that every obstacle presents an opportunity of growth and progress, if only we are tolerant and perseverant.

In life, we are presented with similar obstacles. Whether we blame someone for it and complain about it or like the peasant we take responsibility for it is a matter of choice. If we are wise and take up responsibility for the obstacles presented to us, we are sure to find gold when the obstacle is gone!

Radhanath swami points out that we need to be tolerant and determined to achieve success in any sphere of our life and never be discouraged by the inevitable obstacles that come on our path. All impediments are like rocks in the river of life. We should flow around them and never give up. With the Lord’s help, there is always a way.

Our greatest enemy

In the heart that harbors the weed of selfish greed, the flower of love cannot survive. However, to conquer one’s envy, lust and greed, now that is truly monumental – Radhanath Swami

In a certain place, the fishermen were catching fish. A kite swooped down and snatched a fish. At the sight of the fish, about twenty crows chased the kite and made a great noise with their cawing. Whichever way the kite flew with the fish, the crows followed it. The kite flew to the south and the crows followed it there. The kite flew to the north and still the crows followed after
it. The kite went east and west, but the crows chased it nevertheless. As the kite began to fly about in confusion, it got tired and let go of the fish from its mouth. The crows at once let the kite alone and flew after the fish. Thus relieved of its worries, the kite sat on the branch of a tree and thought, “That wretched fish was the root of all my troubles. I have now gotten rid of it and therefore I am at peace.” As long as a man has the fish, that is, lusty desires, he must perform actions and consequently suffer from worry, anxiety and restlessness. No sooner does he renounce these lusty desires than his troubles fade away and he enjoys peace of the soul. The kite cannot live without the fish, for it needs the fish to survive. But luckily for us, there is no such compulsion, as we can survive without lust. However, when we learn that lusty desires and suffering come bundled together in a take-it-or-leave-it package, we are exposed to a choice. What we choose thereafter leads us to the path of suffering or onto the path of liberation and eternal bliss. The choice is ours!

Lord Krishna tells us in the Bhagavad-gita that, “It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world.”

An enemy to whom you show kindness becomes your friend,excepting lust, the indulgence of which increases its enmity – Saadi